1965 Ford Mustang 260 First generation

On April 17, 1964, Ford presented the first-generation Mustang, based on the Ford Falcon, as both a coupe and a convertible. This created the pony car class, which was later named after this car. Behind the development of the Ford Mustang were Lee Iacocca, who was called the “Father of the Mustang”; Gale Halderman, who made the first sketches that would eventually become the original pony car; and Harold K. “Hal” Sperling, who successfully oversaw production as an engineer.

The Mustang was a great success from the start. The vehicle was intended to appeal to a young, sporty audience and could be purchased for $2, 368 (in today’s purchasing power, adjusted for inflation, this equates to about $21, 000[4]). By the evening of the official sales launch on April 17, 1964, approximately 22, 000 vehicles had already been sold. By the end of the first, although far too long, model year, 680, 992 units had been sold. This was a record in the United States. It was clear that the car filled a gap in the market whose size had not been anticipated. Ford optimistically expected 240, 000 units to be sold. Neither the Chevrolet Corvair Monza, which was similar in concept and had been built since 1960, nor the Plymouth Barracuda, which appeared shortly before the Mustang, was even remotely as successful.

The success of the Mustang was due not only to an extensive and cleverly designed advertising campaign before and during its market launch, but also to an extensive list of individual extras and equipment packages. Every customer had to be able to configure their Mustang model to their own taste, whether they wanted a sparsely equipped six-cylinder model, a small luxury coupe, or a sports car with a powerful V8 engine.

First version

Officially, the early Mustang models produced before September 1964 are also assigned to the 1965 model year. Among other things, they had a slightly smaller grille and the 4. 3-liter V8 engine (260 cubic inches) from the Ford Falcon, instead of the 4. 7-liter V8 engine (289 cubic inches) used from September onward. To distinguish these early vehicles from those built from September onward, they are often unofficially referred to as “model year 1964½.”

This Mustang 260 presented here has been completely restored, including the engine and manual transmission. In addition, the front brakes have been replaced with much better Wilwood disc brakes. Borgeson power steering has also been installed. The invoice for this work is available for inspection. The bodywork has been completely sanded and resprayed in the original color. There is also a new hood that fits very well. The three-speed manual transmission transfers the power of the 4. 3-liter engine fantastically to the rear wheels. It is a joy to drive this perfectly restored car. The sound of the eight-cylinder engine suits it perfectly.

This car has Dutch registration.